Concrete mixing machine



5 Sheets-Sheet l Ernest Hill E. HILL CONCRETE MIXING MACHINE March 21, 1950 Filed May 11, 1946 March 21, 1950 E. HILL CONCRETE MIXING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1l, 1946 NVENTOR. E rnes t HilL March 21, 195.0 E. HILL CONCRETE MIXING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 11, 194e INVENTOR. BY Ernest Hill. jfl/Qa. 76W

ATTORNEY,

Patented Mar. 21, 1950 CONCRETE MIXING MACHINE Ernest Hill, columbus, ohio; Winfield s. realer,

receiver of said Ernest Hill, assig'nor to Wayne Holmes and Thomas F. OShaughnessy, Co-

lumbus, Ohio Application May i1, 1946, serial No. 669,162

3 Claims.

My invention relates to concrete mixing machines of the rotary drum type.

In the past, machines of this type generally embodied a rotary drum into which was introduced the desired proportions of the various constituents of a cementitious mix. The drum vwas provided with internal mix-agitating blades, which blades served as both mixing devices and conveying devices for the subsequent concrete. In this type of mixer, considerable time was lost, as it was necessary to allow ample time for complete mixing and discharge of one batch of concrete before another batch of the dry constituents could be introduced to the drum. Also, considerable deviation from the desired proportions of the individual constituents of` the mix took place, due to the human error of laborers, relying solely upon the instructions of more com petent persons, in fixing the exact proportions of each of the various constituents to produce a concrete having specic qualities.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a concrete mixingmachine which is capable of substantially continuous operation in taking in, mixing, and discharging a cementitious mix, and in which, it is unnecessary that one batch of mix be discharged, before the constituents of another batch are introduced for mixing.

It is another object of my invention to provide a concrete mixer embodying means whereby the exact proportions of mix constituents, that is, cement,sand, gravel and Water, may be had, without relying upon the crude calculations of unskilled laborers.

For a further .and more detailed understanding of my invention, reference is made to the following description and appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is. a side elevational view of my improved concrete mixing machine formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the machine;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view along the line .4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is also a of Fig. 2;

, Fig. 6 is-a fragmentary perspective view disclosing the conducting-venes and bucket devices located inthe discharge compartmentv of the mixer;

Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view .taken through the water proportioning device ofthe mixer;

similar view along the une 5 5 Fig. 8 is a --transverse sectional view taken through the proportioning hopper of the machine; 1

Fig. 9 is a front elevational view thereof. Referring now tov the drawings, it will be seen that my concrete mixing machine embodies a substantially barrel-shaped rotary drum I0, a proportioning hopper I I, and a water proportion" ing tank I2; all of thesev members are supported for operation by a skeleton frame formed of ver- The drum is provided with a pair of circumferen` tial tracks I9 which ride upon the wheels l 6; the drum being held againstlongitudinal movement by means of flanges 2U formed` at the inside edges of the wheels, said flanges being engageable along the inner' edges of'the tracks I9. In this manner the drum is supported in cradle-like fashion and is free to rotate in either direction about its longitudinal axis.

The drum I0 is provided with a circumferential band gear 2| which is disposed intermediate the two tracks I9, and which is in meshing engagement with a considerably smaller driven gear 22 located below the drum. l The gear 22 is driven by any suitable power sourceynot shown, which is capable of reversible rotation. It will be manifest, that a suitable reversible transmission may also be employed to veffect reversible rotation of the gear 22.

With particular reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will'be seen thaty internally, the drum is provided with a pairjof spaced partition walls 23 and 24 respectively, which divide the drum longitudinally into three vseparate compartments,A namely: an intake or dry-mix compartment 25, a central wet-mix compartment 26, anda discharge compartment'Z'l. 'Both of the partition walls are provided with axially Ypositioned open ings 28 which permit communication between the separate compartments.` 1

The drum is formed;- at its inner end with a relatively large circular mix inlet 29 which forms.

an intakeopening for vthe drydnix compartment 25, and-at its outerend with a smaller circular mix outlet 29a which communicates with the discharge compartment 21. The mix outlet 29a is provided with a manually tiltable discharge chute 30 which extends from within the discharge compartment 21 to a position external of the drum. This chute 3l) is pivotally mounted as at 3| to the vertical beams i3, and its tilting actuation is accomplished by means of a pivotally mounted crank arm 32 and a chute-connecting rod 33, which arm 32 when actuated serves to incline the chute at angles either to eiect or deny discharge of concrete from within the discharge compartment 21.

The partition walls 23 and 24 are provided on their inner sides with radially extending mixagitating conveying blades 34 and 35 respectively, the blades 34 occupy a position within the drymix compartment 25, and the base portions of the blades are disposed tangentially around the opening 28. With reference to Fig. 3 or the drawings, it will be seen that the blades 34 are secured to the wall 23 at a pitched angle, which angle decreases as the blades extend toward the opening 28. In this manner, the blades will serve to convey a mix from the compartment 25 through the opening 23 and into the second compartment 26 only when the drum is rotating in a clockwise manner. Conversely, the blades 35, occupying a position within the central wet-mix compartment 2S, are arranged about the second opening 28 in the wall 24 in a similar manner,

but are pitched at an angle in reverse to that of 2.

located within this compartment adjacent to the' outer side of the partition wall 24. These vanes are also carried by the inner wall of the drum and are arranged at an angle with respect to the wall 24 so as to allow mix to slide down# wardly and off the vanes into the bucket devices 36 only when the drum .is rotated in a clockwise direction. The bucket devices 3B are also set at an inclined angle with respect `to the inner wall of the drum so that any mix which is carried therein will be dumped upon the chutel and ultimately discharged from the drum.

The proportioning hopper 1i islocated at the forward end of the frame and is supported at a relatively elevated position by the horizontal beams I4. The hopper is divided into two separate bins 38 and 39, respectively, by a vertically positioned wall 40. Each of the bins have pivot` ally `mounted iioors 4l and 42, respectively, which are supported at their rearward ends by horizontally extending shafts 43 and 44, which in turn are rotatably supported within flanged extensions 45 formed in the rear portion of the hopper. Attached to the shafts 43 and 44 are manually actuated floor-closing levers 46 and 41 which serve to rotate their individual shafts and impart swinging movement to the' floors 4l and 42. The forward -portions of the oors carry on their underneath surfaces forwardly projecting arms 48 which serve to engage weight-actuated latches 45 which are rigidly connected with rotatably mounted bars 50 extending horizontally across the forward ends of the bins 38 and 39. Each of the bars 50 are rotatably supported within suitable collar bearings 5| held by the forwardly extending flanges 52 of the hopper. The bars 5D each carry relatively short crank arms 53 which are pivotally attached to an intermediate arm 54, which in turn is pivotally linked with the forward end of a pivotally supported balance lever 55. The latter adjustably carries a weight 55 substantially at its outer end, which by the above system of levers exerts a clockwise rotational force upon the bar 50. It will be seen that by shifting the weight 56 outwardly upon the lever 55, this force will be increased; conversely, by shifting the weight inwardly, the force is decreased.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, the oors of the bins are held in a closed position by the latches 49, due' to the forces exerted through the levers 53, 54 and 55 by the weight 55. The floors will remain in this closed position until sufcient downwardly directed force is exerted, by the contents of the bins, upon the ioors to overloalance the holding force exerted by the weight `55, at which time the latch 49 is tripped, allowing `the iioors to swing downwardly about their shafts `43 and 44 and dump the contents of the rbins into an inclined ramp 51 which extends into the mix-inlet of the mixer.

It will be seen, as the oors swing downwardly, the latches 49 and their bars 50 will be rotated in a counterclockwise manner'causing the weight 56 to be lifted to a position, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. This counterclockwise rotation is approximately degrees and serves to straighten the levers 54 and 55 to assume a pastcenter lock position with respect to the crank arm 53, thus holding the latches open and the weights in a raised position until the fioors are returned by the manual lactuation of the levers 46 and 41 to a position where the projecting arms 48 engage the central lip of the latch `49 and rotate the bar 5U clockwise to overcome the past-center lock of the levers 54 and 55 and allow the Weights 5B to eifect the closing of the oors. It will be manifest that the opening of the rioors will be relatively rapid, and that the weights 56 and the latches 4S will be more or less thrown to their open positions. Therefore, I have provided outwardly projecting stops 58 which engage the balance levers 55 and prevent the weights `5E from beingswung past their open position. the latches 49 to prevent the same from rotating past their open position; the lips 59 being engageable with `the front wall of the hopper.

With reference to Figs. 1 and '1 of the drawings, the water proportion'ing tank l2 is supported by the vertical and horizontal beams i3 and I4 at a position above the inlet endv of the' drum i0. The tank is provided at its upper mid-section with a raised threaded opening B0 `which receives a circular outwardly threaded packing bushing B l. The latter serves to surround a displacement cylinder 62 and form a water-tight sealwth the walls thereof. The cylinder 52 is substantially solid and lis provided with anf axially arranged threaded channel 63.' The cylinder is supported by a threaded shaft 64 which extends, and is in threaded engagement with the channel 63. The

upper end of the shaft B4 terminates in a rotat-- of upright beams 68 extending from the top of the' tank I2. It will be seen'that by manually rotating the capstan `t5, the cylinder 63, which is heldv against rotational movement, but vertically mov-- Also stop lips 59 are provided upon.

. able'within the packing bushing 6I, may be inserted into or withdrawn from inside the tank I2, thus varying the volumetric capacity thereof.

A glass sight-gauge 69 is provided for the tank I2 for the purpose of determining the level of water therein.

The bottom of the tank I2 is provided with a downwardly extending conduit which joins a three-way valve 1 I. The valve is supplied with an intake conduit 12 and a discharge conduit 13 which extends downwardly. and through the mix inlet of thev drum I0 and into the wet-mix compartment 26'. In operation, the valve 1I is limited to two positions, namely: joining the 'intake conduit 12 with the tank conduit 1li so as to fill the tanklwith water, and joining the tank conduit 1lifwith the discharge conduit 13 so as to drain the-contents of the tank into the wet-mix compartment 26 of the drum.

In the overall operation of the machine, the dryconstituents of the mix, such as cement and sand, are separately introduced to the bins 38 and 39of the hopper, and when the predetermined desired weight of each of the constituents has been reached, the iioors 4I and 42 will swing open and allow the cement and sand to be introduced into the dry-mix compartment of the drum by way of the inclined ramp 51. After the contents of the bins have been dumped, the iloors are returned to their closed positions by manually operating the levers 46 and 41. The drum I0 is then rotated in a clockwise manner by the power source, and the cement and sand are thoroughly dry-mixed and transferred by the conveying blades 34 from the dry-mix compartment 25 through the axial opening 28 and into the wetmix compartment 26 where the contents will remain as long as a clockwise rotation of the drum ensues. The three-way valve 1I is then turned to the tank discharge position allowing the water in the tank to be introduced to the wet-mix cornpartment 26 by way of the discharge conduit 13. The desired amount of water is obtained by adjusting the degree of penetration of the displacement cylinder 62 within the tank I2. The cylinder is provided with a suitably graduated scale 14 so that the volumetric capacity of the tank may be conveniently read and the cylinder adjusted to a desired depth.

As the water is discharged into the wet-mix compartment, a counterclockwise rotation of the drum is effected, and the dry constituents and the water are thoroughly mixed together and transferred by the blades 35 from the wet-mix compartment 26 through the second opening 28 to the discharge compartment 21 where the mix will remain as long as the drum is rotating in a counterclockwise direction. This rotation is continued until all of the wet-mix is transferred to the discharge compartment, at which time the discharge chute 3u is inclined downwardly and a clockwise rotation of the drum effected. Upon this second clockwise rotation, the vanes 31 and bucket devices 36, within the discharge compartment 21, will scoop up the wet-mix and dump the same onto the chute and into any suitable conveying vehicle. It will be manifest that the mixing cycle may be started at any time during either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, because the contents of the wet-mix compartment will always be transferred to the discharge compartment only upon counterclockwise rotation, and the contents of the dry-mix compartment can be transferred to the wet-mix compartment only upon clockwise rotation.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that my improved concrete mixing machine provides a:` highly eiicient and time-saving device capable of mixing great quantities of concrete in relatively short periods of time in a substantially continuous operation, and at the same time affords means whereby the exact proportions of the various constituents of the'cementitious mix are accurately determined independent of unskilled laborers-whereby to produce a superior quality of concrete. y

While I have disclosed what I now deem to be a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be manifest that various changes as to details of construction and design may be accomplished without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the following claims.

' I claim:

1. In a concrete mixer, a drum having a mix inlet at one end and a mix outlet at the opposite end thereof, means for supporting the drum for rotation in either direction about its longitudinal axis, a plurality of spaced partition walls positioned within the drum and dividing the latter longitudinally of its length into three separate but communicating compartments, said walls being formed with axially positioned openings, mixagitating conveying blades radially positioned on one side of each of said walls around said openings and occupying positions within the first and second compartments, the blades within said first compartment being pitched relative to its wall so as to effect a transfer of mix from the ilrst to the second compartment upon the rotation of the drum in one of said directions, the blades within the second compartment being pitched opposite to those within said first compartment so as to effect a transfer of mix from the second to the third compartment only upon the rotation of the drumA in an opposite direction, a plurality of bucket devices carried by the inner wall of said drum within the third compartment for discharging a mix from the third compartment to the mix outlet of said drum, said devicesbeing formed to effect discharge of a mix only upon r0- tation of the drum in the first of said directions, and means for rotating said drum in either of said directions.

2. In a'concrete mixer, a drum having a mix inlet at one end and a mix outlet at the opposite end thereof, means for supporting the drum for rotation in either direction about its longitudinal axis, a plurality of spaced partition walls positioned within the drum and dividing the latter longitudinally of its length into separate but communicating compartments, said walls being formed with axially disposed openings, mix-agitating conveying blades radially positioned on one side of each of said walls around said openings, the blades carried by one of said walls being pitched opposite to the blades carried by an adjacent wall so as to effect a transfer of mix by one set of blades upon rotation of the drum in one direction and a further transfer of mix by another set of blades only upon rotation of the drum in the opposite direction, a plurality of bucket devices carried by the inner wall of said drum within the compartment adjacent the outlet end thereof, said devices being formed to effect discharge of a mix from said compartment to the mix outlet of said drum only upon rotation of the drum in one of said directions, and means for rotating said drum in either of said directions.

3. In a mixing machine, a reversibly rotatable drum having a mix inlet at one end and a mix 7 outlet at the opposite end thereof, said drum being provided internally with -a plurality of separate but communicating longitudinally adjacent compartments, a rst gset of radially disposed mixing lola-des occuping one of the compartments of said drum, said first set of blades being disposed angularly inclined relation with respect to .both the longitudinal and vertical axes Aof the drum whereby to effect a longitudinal advance of a mix contained in said last-named compartment to an adjacent compartment upon rotation of the drum in one direction and to prevent such ad- Vance upon rotation of thedrnm Ain the opposite dreetion, and a second Set of .mixing blades occllpyillg another of the .compartments of said drum, said -second set of blades being `disposed in opposite angularity to said rst set of blades whereby to eiect a longitudinal advance of a mix contained .in .Said last-named compartment upon notation of said drum in a direction opposite ,to that .effecting a longitudinal advance of a mix in ,said rst-nzaimed compartment and to prevent longitudinal advance of a mix upon ro- 8 tation of said drum in a direction effecting Alongitudinal advance within said first-named compartment.

ERNEST HILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in lthe iiie of this patent:

y UNITED STATES PATENTS` Number 

